Martial Arts Overlord!

The Pingshui Martial Arts Association building is located in the heart of the inner city. It is a more than ten-story office building, but it also has a touch of ancient style.

Two stone lions, each over three meters tall, stood in front of the gate, forming a long, winding queue that stretched from the gate all the way to the fountain square at the street corner, with at least two or three hundred people in it.

The people in line were all young people, each with a calm demeanor. Any one of them could be a genius who would roam freely in the outer city, but at this moment, they were just ordinary people waiting in line.

There's only one copy of the Yijing Boxing Manual in the entire Pingshui City.

Not every city is qualified to possess the Yijing Boxing Manual.

It takes several years or even more than a decade for a master to inscribe their martial arts insights and spirit into the scroll before it can take shape.

Each time the scroll is opened, the artistic conception within it is depleted by one point; the more points are used, the weaker the effect becomes.

It can not only enhance the speed at which martial artists in the fourth stage of Bone Forging can enter the ultimate realm, but also help others comprehend the essence of the art.

As one of the four major martial arts schools in the country, Tianlong Martial Arts School naturally has its own Yijing Boxing Manual. However, such manuals are given priority to those in the provincial capital. Schools of the level in Pingshui City don't even have the right to wait in line.

The reason why the Pingshui Martial Arts Association was able to put up such a document is because a martial arts master who came from Pingshui did not pursue any method to prolong his life in his later years. Instead, he returned to his hometown and used his last bit of energy to carve a set of Yijing boxing manuals. His only request before his death was that this manual must remain in Pingshui and be left to future Pingshui martial artists.

There's only one serving, and every Bone Forging Realm fourth-stage martial artist in Pingshui City who feels they can't reach the pinnacle through their own talent has to scramble to get in line.

Like many of the students at the Tianlong Inner City Martial Arts School who have reached the fourth level of Bone Forging, they also save up enough money to come and queue up.

Whether we can get a spot is another matter, and whether we can handle it even if we do get a spot is yet another matter.

If you can handle the mental imagery of 100,000 yuan, it's worth it; otherwise, it's a waste of money.

"I've been queuing for four days already."

A young man in black training clothes leaned against a stone lion, his face filled with despair.

"Every day there are over twenty people ahead of me in line. Are there really that many people in the Bone Forging Realm in Pingshui City?"

A girl with a ponytail next to him glanced back at him, her tone as calm as if she were talking about what the cafeteria was serving today: "This is nothing. You've only been waiting for four days, while I've been waiting for almost ten days and still haven't gotten my turn."

"Even if you get a chance to get into the top ranks, you might not learn anything from it."

A young man with a buzz cut turned around and interrupted, his expression as if he were sharing a painful lesson.

"I queued up once last month. After going in, I lasted for thirty seconds, and then it felt like someone was hitting my head with a hammer from the inside out. I was completely dizzy. When I woke up, the staff told me that the visualization opportunity was over, and I had wasted 100,000 yuan. 100,000 yuan, just for thirty seconds of headache."

"There's nothing we can do; we don't have any grandmasters in our family."

The young man in black looked up at the sky and sighed, "If I had a grandmaster in my family, would I be queuing up here? I could just have my own grandmaster teach me personally."

The girl with the ponytail sneered, "Grandmaster my foot! To be honest, those who can stand in line here aren't that talented. Those who are truly talented don't even need visualization; they can comprehend and reach the pinnacle in half a year at most. Every single one of us standing in line here is stuck at a bottleneck."

"That's true." The young man with the buzz cut shook his head, his tone tinged with self-deprecation. "Back in the outer city, I was hailed as a genius, but after coming to the inner city... geniuses are everywhere!"

It's like getting into Tsinghua University or Kyoto University, only to find that your classmates are either top scorers or admitted without taking the entrance exam.

"If only I had that talent of Lu Jin."

The young man in black leaned against the stone lion, his tone full of longing.

"How long has he been practicing martial arts? Less than two months. He went from training his flesh and blood to forging his bones, and he even received a third-class merit award. Someone online compiled his timeline, and I was silent for a full ten minutes after reading it."

"Don't even think about it." The girl with the ponytail waved her hand. "That guy is a monster. Monsters and geniuses are two different species. You can still catch up with a genius, but with a monster, you can't even see his taillights."

Just then, a commotion broke out on the street corner.

First, a few people turned their heads to look back, then a dozen or so, and finally the entire line turned their heads.

The young man in black stood up straight, tiptoed, and peered at the street corner. Then his mouth slowly opened wide.

"Holy crap! Lu Jin! It's Lu Jin!"

This sentence was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples to spread instantly.

The whole line stirred. Some people leaned half their bodies out of the queue, some stood directly on the edge of the flower bed, and others raised their phones to take pictures.

In an instant, Lu Jin and Zhao Wen walked side by side from the street corner, their pace neither fast nor slow, their expressions calm, as if they were completely unaware of the gazes focused on them.

"That's Lu Jin? He looks even younger than in the video."

The girl with the ponytail stood on tiptoe and looked for a long time before turning to ask the young man with the buzz cut next to her.

"What's he doing at the martial arts association?"

The young man with the buzz cut shook his head: "Who knows? The one next to him is Zhao Wen, right? He's also an ultimate genius. Both of them are members of the association."

"I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to become a member of the association."

Just as everyone was speculating about Lu Jin's intentions, the doors of the Martial Arts Association were pushed open from the inside.

A middle-aged man in his fifties with his hair neatly combed walked out quickly, followed by two staff members.

He was wearing a dark blue association uniform with a board member badge pinned to his chest, and his face was full of enthusiastic smiles.

The people in line were stunned by what they saw. Just moments ago, this person was sternly reprimanding the staff in the lobby, but now his smile was so bright it could be used to air out blankets.

"Nephew Lu! Nephew Zhao! What brings you two here?"

Huang Li rushed forward, his enthusiasm making the ponytail girl in line next to him twitch at the corner of her mouth.

She queued for ten days, and this person didn't even glance at her once.

"My name is Huang Li, and I am a director of the association. I am on duty today."

Lu Jin shook hands with him and got straight to the point: "Director Huang, I would like to visualize the Intent Fist Manual."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire line fell silent, and then erupted in chaos!

"He can't be serious!" The young man in black stared wide-eyed. "With his talent, he actually needs to visualize the essence of a fist manual? Is it even necessary for him?"

"That's exactly what I mean. If I had his talent, I'd be lying at home waiting for a breakthrough. Why would I be here competing with us for a spot?"

Huang Li was also taken aback, his enthusiasm mixed with a hint of doubt.

He carefully considered his words and said cautiously, "Nephew Lu, with your talent... to be honest, you don't need to visualize the Intent Fist Manual at all. In a month or two, or three or four months at most, breaking through to the extreme realm is a sure thing. The Intent Fist Manual is a lifeline for ordinary martial artists, but for you, it's at most icing on the cake."

"Moreover, the ultimate realm offers the opportunity to comprehend the essence of things. The essence of other people might interfere with you. After all, the essence of things is what suits you best."

"That's right," Zhao Wen explained. "That's why we don't visualize the essence of the boxing manual."

"Oh, I see. That's alright then."

"The true path lies in integrating all principles into one."

"..."

Lu Jin shook his head: "Following the steps is too slow. Perhaps after I finish visualizing the intent of the fist manual, I will be able to break through to the extreme realm in a short time."

"A few months, half a year—I don't have that much time to mess around!"

Keep in mind that his life is hanging by a thread right now; if he doesn't become stronger quickly, he'll die!

At this moment, another wave of excitement erupted within the team.

The young man in black's lips twitched: "Listen to this, is this even human language?"

The girl with the ponytail rubbed her forehead and muttered to herself, "So this is what the troubles of geniuses are like: they find following the rules too slow."

The young man with the buzz cut shook his head and muttered, "The Intent Fist Manual is indeed a good thing, but it's not some kind of magic pill. You think you can break through to the ultimate realm just by visualizing it a few times? What a joke."

After listening to Lu Jin's words, Huang Li remained silent for a while.

Then he nodded and said decisively, "No problem, Nephew Lu, I'll arrange it for you directly, no need to wait in line."

"Why should I?!"

The young man at the front of the line, who had been waiting for several days and had gotten several shades darker from the sun, immediately protested, took a step forward, and spoke with a voice full of dissatisfaction.

"I've been waiting in line for five days! Why did he get in right away? Just because he's famous?"

Huang Li turned around, looked at him calmly, and said in a slow and steady tone: "Lu Jin is a formal member of the Martial Arts Association, a third-class meritorious official, and the honorary captain of the police station."

According to the association's internal regulations, you have the right to priority use of the association's facilities. If you think I've done something wrong, you can file a complaint; I, Huang Lichun, am acting solely according to the rules.

The young man opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Several people who were about to speak also swallowed their words when they heard the words "Third-Class Merit Recipient".

A long queue of several hundred people was so quiet that you could hear the wind rustling through the leaves.

I'm a little unconvinced.

But there seems to be no way to refute it.

Damn it!

They also longed for a life like Lu Jin's!

Seeing this, Lu Jin raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected it to be so simple.

I originally thought it would take a lot of talking, and I was even mentally prepared to fight if we couldn't get through to each other.

Zhao Wen laughed and patted Lu Jin on the shoulder: "Junior brother, with your status now, it's only right that you have some privileges. Do you think you got that third-class merit last night for nothing? Did Mayor Han let you into the association just to be a decoration?"

"I thought we were going to have a fight." Lu Jin shrugged.

Huang Li quickly waved his hand, his face beaming with a smile: "Nephew Lu, you're joking, you're joking. Fighting in the Martial Arts Association, that's news, isn't it? If you want, you can keep reading the Yijing Boxing Manual these days, that's the treatment you deserve."

"Do I need to pay?" Lu Jin asked.

Huang Li was taken aback for a moment, then quickly shook his head: "No need, no need, your identity is free."

Lu Jin remained silent for a long while.

He turned to look at Zhao Wen, his expression a genuinely frustrating confusion that made one's teeth itch with hatred: "It's so frustrating, senior! I have five million in my account and I don't know what to do with it, even though all the resources are free."

Zhao Wen took a step forward expressionlessly, creating some distance between them.

"Senior brother, why are you ignoring me?"

Zhao Wen did not turn around.

Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you like it?

"Get out!"

Zhao Wen finally couldn't hold back any longer. He turned around, pointed at Lu Jin, and his voice was full of long-suppressed accusations.

"Watch out or I'll beat you up! If you have money to burn, give it to your senior brother. You'll see when you reach the Refining Essence Realm that replenishing essence is getting more and more expensive, and the better the effect, the harder it is to buy!"

Seeing this, Huang Li quickly interjected, "Nephew Lu, don't worry. Once you reach the Refining Essence Realm, our Martial Arts Association will provide you with medicine to replenish your essence free of charge."

Zhao Wen seemed to be frozen in place, as if he had been put under a spell.

He mechanically turned his head to look at Huang Li, his eyes filled with the bewilderment of someone betrayed by the world: "Why! This isn't fair! I'm a member too! I paid for all my essence-enhancing drugs myself! Do you know how much I spent?!"

"Does being a genius mean you can do whatever you want?"

Huang Li wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice tinged with embarrassment and trepidation: "Nephew Zhao, Nephew Lu's treatment... was personally approved by City Magistrate Han."

Zhao Wen shut his mouth.

He silently calculated in his mind the money he had spent on essence-enhancing drugs over the past two years... and then decided to stop thinking about it.

"Sorry, senior, geniuses can do whatever they want."

Lu Jin covered his head with his hands, almost making Zhao Wen explode with anger.

However, Lu Jin did have his own troubles.

He had nowhere to spend the five million yuan reward from the government, so he decided to continue investing in Chen Wei's weapons shop and try to turn it into a weapons conglomerate in the future.

Or save up enough money to buy a better weapon.

Anyway, the money is just sitting there, it needs to go somewhere.

Huang Li led Lu Jin through the hall and down a dark carpeted corridor. Portraits of past presidents hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor, which ended at a heavy alloy door.

Huang Li swiped his fingerprint on the door lock and entered a password before the alloy door slowly opened.

Behind the door was a secret room.

It wasn't large, only a few dozen square meters, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ink. The walls of the secret room were covered with scrolls.

The same person is depicted on every scroll.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in loose training clothes, performs different punching postures in different paintings.

Each painting is extremely concise, with only a few strokes, but the intent of the fist almost shines through the paper, making people feel a tightness in their chest just by standing in front of the painting!

This is the Yijing Boxing Manual.

The martial arts master from Pingshui City exhausted his energy and spirit in his later years, engraving the essence of his life's martial arts into these paintings.

Lu Jin sat down cross-legged in the center of the secret room.

As soon as I entered the state of visualization, a wave of mental impact surged in from all directions.

The old man's fist intent in the painting transformed into countless invisible fists, simultaneously striking the depths of his spirit from every painting.

It was as if his soul had been thrown into a raging storm, causing Lu Jin's soul to tremble.

In his mind, the old man's ordinary fist seemed to contain a world-destroying force.

"Is this the essence of boxing?"

"Truly extraordinary."

Lu Jin gritted his teeth and withstood the continuous mental onslaught.

A moment later, he sensed something faint and intangible; in some corner of his mind that he had never touched before, a faint light was flickering.

He reached out to grab it, his fingertips seemingly touching the edge of the light, but in that instant, the light slipped away.

He was always just a little short, but as Lu Jin continued to comprehend it, he got closer and closer to that glimmer of light, and the thunderous sound within his body became more and more awe-inspiring!

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Jin opened his eyes.

Everything in the secret room was as usual; the scroll still hung on the wall, and the faint scent of ink still lingered in the air. But the numbers on the panel had changed.

Attack: 1703.6

【Speed: 1406.2】

[Defense: 1561.5]

[Stamina: 1473.4]

[Spirit: 695.3→758.6]

[Willpower: 703.7 → 771.2]

"Not bad, I've finally found a way to quickly improve the two attributes that have been holding me back."

Crackling sounds!

Lu Jin felt that he was at a point of sublimation. After one visualization, his mental strength and willpower each increased by more than 60 points, which was greater than the increase brought by the introductory stage of any martial arts.

Although he did not directly reach the pinnacle, he could sense that the spiritual light was not far away, within reach.

Within a few days, he will surely reach the pinnacle!

With his skin, flesh, muscles, and bones all reaching their peak, his strength will surely increase significantly again.

Not only did his attributes improve, but Lu Jin also felt that he had touched the threshold of artistic conception.

Perhaps, he can truly find his own artistic conception even in extreme situations.

After regaining his composure, Lu Jin stood up, pushed open the door to the secret chamber, and found that it was already completely dark. He had unknowingly spent the entire afternoon in the secret chamber.

Lu Jin soon discovered that the entire Martial Arts Association was even more chaotic than during the day.

The hall was packed with people, gathered in small groups, their chatter filling the air, creating an atmosphere even more boisterous and lively than when Lu Jin had arrived.

Zhao Wen leaned against the wall at the entrance of the corridor. When he saw Lu Jin come out, he straightened up. The expression on his face was hard to tell whether it was envy or schadenfreude. A very complicated smile was on his lips.

"Junior brother, you're out?" Zhao Wen's voice carried a "good luck" tone.

"Why is it noisier outside than during the day?" Lu Jin frowned.

"A beautiful woman has arrived."

Zhao Wen shook his head, then took a step forward, lowered his voice, and said slowly and deliberately, "And it's for you."

"Who is it?"

Zhao Wen looked at Lu Jin, remained silent for a full three seconds, and then uttered three words.

"Han City Magistrate's daughter."

"Han Qingling".

...